Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Anna Bonacci (play)
I.A.L. Diamond (writer)

Release Date:

25 December 1964 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

A jealous piano teacher Orville Spooner sends his beautiful wife, Zelda, away for the night while he tries to sell a song to a famous nightclub singer Dino, who is stranded in town.

Plot Keywords:

Piano | Singer | Piano Teacher | Nightclub | Gas Station

Cast

Dean Martin	...	Dino
Kim Novak	...	Polly the Pistol
Ray Walston	...	Orville Jeremiah Spooner
Felicia Farr	...	Zelda Spooner
Cliff Osmond	...	Barney
Barbara Pepper	...	Big Bertha
Skip Ward	...	Milkman (as James Ward)
Doro Merande	...	Mrs. Pettibone
Bobo Lewis	...	Waitress
Tom Nolan	...	Johnnie Mulligan (as Tommy Nolan)
Alice Pearce	...	Mrs. Mulligan
John Fiedler	...	Reverend Carruthers
Arlen Stuart	...	Rosalie Schultz
Howard McNear	...	Mr. Pettibone
Cliff Norton	...	Mack Gray

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:GP (re-rating) (1970) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating) (1994) | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Aquarius Theatre - 6239 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

After a tough day of shooting, Kim Novak gave sandwiches and homemade cookies to the cast and the director.

Quotes:

Polly the Pistol: Get out of here, I've got a job to do.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Unknown Peter Sellers (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

'S Wonderful

With-it sex satire, stunted by '60s morals and a miscast co-star...

Billy Wilder's failed satire of sex comedies involves famous crooner and ladies' man Dean Martin stranded in a small town on the Nevada border, befriended by hack songwriter Ray Walston who hopes to sell Dino his novelty songs. To sweeten the pot, Walston gets curvy waitress/prostitute Kim Novak to pose as his wife and seduce the star. Controversial when first released (and condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency!), the film isn't quite as risqué today, playing like an extended episode of TV's "Three's Company". However, it does push some effective buttons and has edgy moments of comedy (it may be an oldster's idea of hip, but it's pretty close to the real thing and not a poser). Martin, Novak, and Felicia Farr are all engaging, and director Wilder sets up the running gags with his customary aplomb, yet not much can be done with Ray Walston, an eleventh-hour replacement for Peter Sellers and a complete mismatch for this ribs-nudging material. Hurt overall by a claustrophobic production and the dingy design, disappointing cinematography and balky early pacing, which is far too staid. **1/2 from ****